Health and Medicine

Posts Tagged ‘Baldness’

You probably never thought male pattern baldness or balding patches would happen to you!

For the first time in your life you look in the mirror and notice your hairline is receding! If you are a woman, you might be experiencing patches of hair loss!

In my case I was experiencing both; an extreme receding hairline and a bald spot!

Maybe you never stopped to think why male pattern baldness looks the same for everyone who is losing hair. Of course, that’s why it’s known as male “pattern” baldness!

I never thought about it until I started searching for natural home remedies for hair loss for myself!

What Causes the Pattern?

First we need to understand what significantly contributes to hair loss in women and men.

It’s excessive oil!

Natural home remedy hair specialists who have been in the field of restoring hair loss – with success – for 20 years, say that 99% of the time hair loss in both men and women usually comes from one thing. Excessive oil!

This oil is called sebum. When this oil gets clogged in your scalp it stops the hair follicle from growing. Eventually the oil will prevent the root from surfacing. The end result is a receding hairline and what we know as “hereditary male pattern baldness” and androgenetic alopecia.

Also experts know that hair on a man’s head grows “straight out” in some areas and in other areas grows laying down. This direction of hair growth is what forms the hereditary pattern in men’s hair. For women, it’s quite different in terms of the direction their hair tends to grow.  Read more...

Superstitious Beliefs We all have these superstitious beliefs about hair loss. When our hair starts to fall off little by little, we start blaming our mother’s father for passing down some bad genes. When we find out that our grandfathers had thick hair until their very last days, we start blaming all the stressful activities that we go through – career problems, marital bliss, among others. Then, we also conclude that it might just be an effect of a psychological phase that we are undergoing. And if nothing is to blame for all of these, we conclude that it is all because of our unexplainable fondness for tight hats. However, these preconceived ideas are more superstitious than factual. They are not really the causes for becoming bald. Factual Information on Baldness and Hair Loss To understand baldness in a more logical perspective, it is something that is brought upon by various reasons. Some baldness are caused by some diseases that directly target hair or hair growth. Alopecia areata is an example. There is also an illness called Traction alopecia which cause people to pull on their hair. Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism, both of which are abnormalities in one’s thyroid glands, could also cause frontal and parietal hair loss, respectively. Hair loss can also be caused by a person’s insufficient diet. Inadequate protein or iron can bring about hair loss and if not diagnosed, could eventually lead to a lot of hair falling. Medical treatments such as chemotherapy and other forms of radiation and drugs can stun hair growth and could also result to hair fall. Even those who are taking contraceptive pills could also experience hair fall. And, quite surprisingly, women who just gave birth and who thought that the only things that they need to worry about after giving birth are the baby and their figures may also experience excessive amounts of their hair falling.Hair Loss Treatments However, no matter what the cause is and no matter what kind of cause we blame baldness to, whether the superstitious or the scientific causes, one thing is certain – baldness causes some psychological effects that could sometimes lead to social dysfunctions brought upon by depression, social phobia, anxiety, and to some extent, identity change. Just imagine all of those people you know, both men and women, who used to be very positive and sociable and turned to completely individuals when their hair loss stared becoming more apparent. In a more positive light, baldness, however, has hair loss treatments that could sometimes reverse the whole hair loss process if it is detected early on. Though it is much easier to just maintain what remains of the hair than to regrow it, nowadays, there are already a lot of treatments that could actually regrow what was lost from hair loss. In fact, there are two treatments that are approved to be safe and effective for treating hair loss – finasteride and minoxidil. Aside form these drugs, treatments such as low-level laser therapy, surgery, and hair multiplication, are also hair loss treatments that can be used. Another drug, ketoconazole, used in some shampoos, is also used because of its ability to stimulate hair growth. Unsaturated fatty acids are also taken orally to induce hair growth. Some more natural methods include some changes in one’s diet and lifestyle. Aerobic exercises, weight training and diet with sufficient iron and protein can be used to stimulate hair growth and prevent hair loss. Some other known hair loss remedies include Immunosuppressants, saw palmetto, Polygonum multiflorum, Hedgehog agonists, WNT gene related and coffee beans. Yet, some people opt for the more direct but superficial approach of baldness and hair loss concealment. Wearing a wig or hat, choosing a hair style that conceals bald spot and or combing over are just some of the tricks that people use. However, there are still those who do not seek hair loss treatments anymore and save themselves from the grueling match and mismatch of known hair loss treatments that could work best for them. What they do is they open their arms wide open to accept their fate and just live with the baldness that they have. This, of course, requires a high level of tolerance and self esteem. For people who can’t manage social pressure, this kind of approach is not highly recommended.